They did it.

Well, more accurately Ulrich and Sayuri did it, but they all kept their cool in the face of yet another motive, and it looked like Control himself was struck silent. Faced with the jubilation at the circumstances, what was the Daredevil doing in the midst of it all?

Snzz…

Oh, he’s…He’s sleeping. You find him on one of the benches in the Waiting Area, calmly sleeping his worries away now that he’s had one good night in the last five days to do so. The bags under his eyes makes it clear that he hadn’t actually gotten any sleep in the days before so…I guess all’s well that ends well.

Ahhh, what to do?

Obviously, she should let him rest. He probably needs it! It’s been a rough couple of days, for sure. A rough week. A rough month! Tsukasa could just come back and try again later. That much was a given, but...

Tohru said it was okay for Tsukasa to be a little more selfish...would something like this count? Would he really not be upset if she woke him up for something stupid? It’s not as if Neo is the type of person to get angry at something so inconsequential, but...

Well, what better person to take life advice from than a known murderer, am I right? The girl leans forward, giving Neo a gently poke on the cheek.

“Ne~o~kyuuuu~n...~ ♡”

As little as Saeru felt like leaving her room, she still had to eat sometime. She didn’t feel much like it, but as long as she didn’t have to attempt any cooking…

“Well, my immune system is already too strong for its own good, so I’d imagine I’d be better off than some of you…”

She tapped gingerly at her makeup, which was almost more trouble than it was worth at this point. Fatigue, headache—nothing unusual. But all of this sweating? What a pain.

“I didn’t think you could get rabies from anything but animal bites… How did Control…?”

“…Who knows. I wonder if they’ll be able to find the cure.”

Thanks for not answering anything, Saeru.

That response seems good enough for Tsukasa, at least, because she smiles in response.

“Well, that’s a relief~! Nee, does Sae-chama want a cold towel or something? Tsukasa-chama wasn’t sure if it would help much, but she put a few in the refrigerator a little earlier just in case!”

Ayyy, Tsukasa-chama! Back at it again with the cold towels. Incredible. She would go grab Saeru one herself if asked, but for now she would have to turn her attention back to the task at hand. Cooking intensifies!

“Mm, it’s probably best not to question the means of it all too much... A lot of strange things have happened. We just have to do whatever we can to get by. Some of the others are already working hard to find a cure, so we’ll just have to support them as much as we can...”

Tsukasa hummed to herself in thought. She wanted to keep this conversation light, if she could help it.

Tohru keeps puffing her cheeks like a hamster when Tsukasa turns her back. Again, what kind of fifteen-year-old is this.

You too, you too! Right now, between you and me, in this conversation, we’re talking about you, you know? If you’re really super worried for real, then, if I do end up having to go to a hospital, I can “ask” the doctors to move me in the same room as Sayuri, so it’s no problem.

That is most definitely still a problem and somewhat worrying how “ask” was in air quotes. She stops rudely buu-buu-ing for a second to rudely point. This is no way to treat Tsukasa-sempai!

That guy and you too, you’re both too much! You keep thinking of helping others, but what about yourself? It’s okay to love yourself, too, you know, since you’re a beloved person? Ahh, I can’t believe I let myself get swept up by this type of person. Of course only somebody who cares so little about himself would care about others like this. And you, too. Geez, are you gonna say anything like “I don’t hate myself,” too? I think I understand Sayuri’s feelings a little more now if I sounded like this. But Sayuri never got mad at me. Geeeez… Calm down, calm down…

Please stop bullying her!! Tohru stops ranting to scoot over and help herself to a glass of water. It’s slow to swallow and makes her nauseous, but she needs this much, at least. Even when she smacks her lips, they’re still dry, but eight ounces should be enough… She frowns and keeps looking down at her empty glass.

… If you think your presence is a bother, that’s super not it, you know? When you’re in love, every moment with them is precious. Enough that you might wanna monopolize it. But that feeling isn’t evil. “I don’t want to burden the person I love…” Those feelings can kill people. I’m sure. You both, you’re too…

She struggles to find the right now. So instead, more water! Glug glug.

It’s concerning for sure, but Tsukasa can’t help but let out a small laugh at the suggestion. That’s probably what she should have come to expect from Tohru by now, right? Of course, she wouldn’t stay on the subject for long, and Tsukasa is obliged to follow.

“A beloved person...?”

Tsukasa mumbles the words under her breath, as if trying them on for the first time. Ah, putting it like that, it definitely sounds like too much. That’s too much, right? Being thought of as something like that. If she’d managed to be a beloved person, then did she really need to love herself? Tsukasa starts to say something, but Tohru hasn’t stopped.

What was she supposed to say to all of that? Tsukasa-chama doesn’t know where to start, even. Starting off with an apology is surely no good, but the word had already left her lungs.

“...rry... Eheh, sorry, Tsukasa-chama doesn’t know a lot about this stuff, but that’s probably not super duper surprising, right? Gomen...~ It must be frustrating! Tsukasa-chama will try her best to take that advice to heart, okay?”

Tsukasa absentmindedly rubs at the back of her head, her cooking quest all but completely abandoned. Her smile is still in tact, but the ice surrounding it is thin--it looked as if she very well might start crying if Tohru keeps this up any longer. Tohru, please. If Tsukasa didn’t want this to continue, she would have to change the subject...

“In any case, hopefully everyone will be alright... Things are only going to get worse from here, so the sooner we act the better, right?”

Since nodding would be too much effort and not even visible from back there,

Yes.

says Tohru, who attempted to feed Yuuna and herself unevenly cut orange slices in between two pieces of bread, and she honestly means it. Fruit sandwiches are healthy right. She stays near the corner so as not to distract Tsukasa (probably a newly developed habit of hers after spending a couple weeks as a murderer) but when she turns to face her anyway, she at least returns the politeness by smiling back instead of pointing scissors. It’s only a short moment before she drops back to neutrality, but hey, courtesy!

The right thing to do for Tsukasa-san, I think, would be to rest. It’s not only the others suffering, it’s you, too, you know? And with the nightmares, too. I don’t know everything, but it sounds like you were in a really tough spot. And with the wishes the time before that, too…

She winces, realizing only after saying that just how unlucky this girl has been this whole time in here. But she’s gotta finish her thought.

It’s not selfish to lie down and rest. Or even ask Enjou-san to take care of you. Kuu-san and I can take care of everything else, so. It’s the least he can do for his girlfriend, you know?

Oh no, she started pouting at the mention of Neo. It’s a really obvious shift in expression, too. Oh boy what did the boy do now.

She’s doing amazing, I believe in her. Love you, Tohru. Tsukasa smiles and nods a bit at the response, though she isn’t sure whether or not to believe it. There’s no reason to protest, at least. Especially with this new lack of scissors! Wow, what an improvement. 

Tsukasa flinched a bit at the mention of the previous motives, deciding that this would be a great time to go back to work on her cooking. Did Tohru hear about her little episode during the nightmares a few days ago? Geeze, with this track record, she probably did actually contract the virus...

“Mm, no, Tsukasa-chama wouldn’t want to bother him like that... Neo’s already pushing himself a lot for everyone’s sake, and Tsukasa-chama definitely doesn’t want to add on to that and be a burden if she can help it, you know? He’s already been really nice to Tsukasa-chama, so asking for anything else feels like too much...”

Tsukasa has a feeling that this wasn’t what Tohru wanted to hear, so she turns her attention back to her knifework.

“Tsukasa-chama really appreciates the thought, but she’ll manage~ Tsukasa-chama doesn’t want to cause trouble or make anyone worry about more than they already have to, so she wouldn’t push herself beyond her limits. That wouldn’t help anybody, right?”

Which, again, all sounds very convincing; if not a bit rehearsed. Well, that’s enough of that.

Possibly being infected with rabies sure wasn’t going to stop Tsukasa Tamotsu from cooking and cleaning, for better or worse!

Worse. It’s almost definitely for worse. Someone make her stop.

Still, Tsukasa seems content enough to be chopping vegetables at the counter. Humming to herself, keeping a steady rhythm, like it’s all a game. Tsukasa had become so focused on the simple task, she almost didn’t notice the ache and fatigue–she almost didn’t catch someone else coming in the kitchen.

Her eyes stay on her fingers, continuing to chop. Now would be the worst time to get a cut, after all!

“Eheh, it’s easy to go straight for convenience food when you’re feeling bad, but in times like this it’s more important than ever to eat well, you know~? Tsukasa-chama wanted to try to make some food for everyone that’s easy to stomach, but…”

The girl sounds chipper enough to come off as healthy, but turning to speak to whoever came in would probably give away how exhausted she was. Still, it’s better to see who she’s talking to. If it had been Natacha that entered, for example, she probably wouldn’t have been able to hear much of what Tsukasa was saying to her.

Not that it really matters anyway. Still, she puts down her knife and turns to them, leaning against the island counter for additional support.

“Well, that’s probably not the best idea until we know who’s actually infected, huh? Handling food like this…. Tsukasa-chama didn’t really think about it until after she already started. Eheh, it really doesn’t feel right to sit around and do nothing while everyone’s suffering though…”

You’d sound a lot more convincing if you didn’t look like you were about to topple over, Tsukasa-chama. Please go take a nap.

Gyuhui’s heart almost stops when they see Tsukasa. Even more so when she addresses them. They - No, they have to do this. There’s no reason to make things any worse than they already have. No reason at all. Come on, smile!

They turn to Tsukasa with their Idol Smile, which is mediocre at best and just flat-out painful at worst. “Hey, Tsukasa-chama~! How’re you feeling?… I - Ah, you, you don’t need to apologize, it’s okay…!”

Perhaps notable is the fact that Gyuhui is still wearing Ryuu’s jacket around. And they really don’t seem to be up here with much of a purpose, except to just… have something to do besides sitting in the room all day. Again. Inwardly they’re really just praying, Please don’t say anything else, please don’t say anything else. They don’t want to have to be Gyuhui right now. Not now. Not really ever again. Right now, they can just try to be Ryuu. The best they can, even if that best is still a crappy cardboard version of the Acrobat.

So they’re here to comfort and be cheerful. As best they can. They’re here to make a return to faking their feelings. Pretend that everything is okay, because otherwise they’ll break completely. Wear a mask. Treat Tsukasa-chama like a paparazza, for once. And that’s just how life is at the moment. So, sorry about that, Tsukasa-chama. This isn’t your fault by any means.

Ah, so that’s how it is. Gyuhui is putting on that show again, huh? It’s not like she can confront them about it, but she can’t really ignore it either...

“No, I... Tsukasa-chama was out of line back there. Tsukasa-chama was just really super upset about what was happening, and she sort of took it out on Gyu-kyun, and that was wrong, no matter how awful things were, so...”

Well, the least she can do is play along. Tsukasa smiles back, though it’s a bit more strained than she would have wanted.

“That’s all, so Tsukasa-chama really won’t bother you anymore--or she’ll try her best at least, eheh~ It’s better that way, right? Gomen...it was kind of silly of Tsukasa-chama to try to be friends or something, forcing herself into Gyu-kyun’s business like that, after all. That was super dumb...really stupid, right? Apologizing doesn’t really feel like enough somehow, hahah...”

Tsukasa starts to turn to leave, but her eyes settle on Ryuu’s jacket, and suddenly her feet sink into floor--too heavy to bear and unwilling to move. A free hand moves to rub at the back of her head, but she holds it back down, twiddling her thumbs.

Gyuhui is flashing that trademark idol smile, and she feels so small.

“...Sorry, that’s, you know about Tsukasa-chama’s secret and everything, right...?”

Tsukasa had been napping on top of one of the library’s bookshelves–you know, as one does. She was a little hesitant to sleep again at first, but it looks like those vivid nightmares really did just…go away. 

It’s not a fair trade, but the world can be cruel in that way.

Still, because Ryuu and Nami died so that they could all rest peacefully, Tsukasa would take advantage of being able to sleep as much as she pleased, it seems. Of course, all good things must come to an end. How long had she been awake, now? Twenty…thirty minutes? Some indeterminable amount of time, because time hardly matters here, just staring at the ceiling, trying to fall back asleep.

It’s hard.

Control really did grant Yuni’s wish in the way he said he would, huh. Tsukasa had started to think it was all a ruse, and so the idea had settled down to rest in the back of her mind. It felt like such a long time ago when Yuni turned in that letter. Why would he bring it up now? Well, time hardly matters here anyway, apparently.

Aiko and Umi Sakakibara, Sachiko Arakawa. Ryuu’s alive. I love you. I’ll be home soon 

Maybe he just wanted to throw that line in their faces… Maybe he only did it for that. What a rotten man.

Still, if he really is going through with those promises like that, then…

“Looks like he really was serious about that whole wish thing, huh…”

Tsukasa spoke aloud to no one, but finally fixing her eyes from the ceiling would reveal that someone had been listening. Ah, maybe they didn’t notice her up here? Fixing a smile on her face, the girl launches upright and stretches her arms. She totally just meant to say that, sure.

“Haaah, Tsukasa-chama’s really glad~! It’s amazing that everyone had the chance to reach out to their loved ones, right? Even if they couldn’t say a lot… Hopefully Hoshinya-chama’s family will be able to find everyone quickly!”

Tsukasa turns herself around so that her legs can dangle over the edge, facing her new conversation partner. Hey, Tsukasa-chama, how do you expect to get down from there. This is her new home now.

Something about Gyuhui’s words get under her skin, or maybe the grief and frustration Tsukasa had pushed aside for the sake of getting to the bottom of things had finally caught up with her. The other trials had gone so much more smoothly. Was it the lack of sleep? The loss of a pillar of strength and optimism, the loss of a brilliant mind. The things just happen so much. She really should keep her mouth shut, but–

“…Nee, you weren’t the only one close to them, you know? You aren’t the only one overwhelmed with guilt right now, Gyu-kyun, so don’t be selfish and take all of the blame yourself. If you really did it, then take responsibility and say so clearly. If you didn’t, then don’t say meaningless things. You can grieve as much as you need to, but we’re doing our best to find out who’s responsible for this to avoid any more unnecessary death. We aren’t even sure that a third party is responsible for this. Thrusting yourself on a sword won’t do anyone any good. It’s not what they would have wanted, either.”

Thank goodness the others had already expressed sentiments similar to what she was feeling, or Tsukasa’s words may have ended up being a bit harsher. Gyuhui doesn’t deserve this in the least, honestly. Please free them.

Well, as per Natacha’s request, Tsukasa empties her pockets. Her ID, a spare hair tie, a pen–no glasses or anything otherwise incriminating–carelessly clattered against the ground by her feet. The action, or maybe the simple passage of time seemed to smooth over her frustrations, because Tsukasa visibly deflates once she’s finished.

Ahhh, it was definitely out of line to be so harsh with them when they were so close with Ryuu and Nami, right? Of course they’re suffering. 

“…Gomen… Tsukasa-chama didn’t mean that. That’s, about Gyu-kyun being selfish–you’re not. Tsukasa-chama shouldn’t have said such an awful thing when Gyu-kyun is suffering like this. They wouldn’t have wanted that either. It’s just, Tsukasa-chama also… Tsukasa-chama wants to believe that no one here would do something like that. That this was just an accident. Tsukasa-chama too…she’s going to vote for Ryuu or Mimi-chama. No one found any evidence that points to anyone else. Tsukasa-chama won’t waste precious time apologizing, so she’ll say she’s sorry to Gyu-kyun properly later. Sorry… For causing a distraction and being a hypocrite like that…”

Tsukasa nods slowly as the others speak. At least they all seem to be on the same page here. That’s a relief. Or perhaps everyone had just been turned somber from the shock of this whole situation, exhausted from lack of sleep and loss of heart, and they lack the will or energy to even think or speak, much less argue.

That’s less of a relief. Tsukasa herself has to scrape down into her reserves for some will and energy of her own before speaking up again. 

“Right… The burns on Ryuu’s legs were different than the ones on his back, they were really severe and they seemed localized around the parts of his legs that were against the floor. Where the water was… Tsukasa-chama doesn’t know a lot about these kinds of things, but she thought they might have been electrical burns, given the situation…”

It looks like most people had caught on to what they’d been implying, so Tsukasa treads with caution.

“But…that brings us to something we need to consider. If that’s the case, it feels easy to say that Mimi-chama triggered the cause of his death and chalk it up to that, but can we really call them the killer? We can’t, right…? Forget the fact that they would never do anything to intentionally hurt Ryuu-kyun, Control doesn’t even see them as a person in this game. If he doesn’t see them as something capable of being killed, can he see them as something capable of killing? Wouldn’t someone like that simply consider Mimi-chama a weapon or something? Ano, just… What are the rules that classify someone as a killer in this situation?”

A pause. Her eyes wander the room, lingering over the new missing podiums before relenting to the floor. 

This has only just started, but she is so tired.

“With that in mind, Tsukasa-chama just…thinks we should explore all of our options before entering any votes. We still don’t know how that fire started, or why it spread so quickly. What could have caused this to happen?”

No one seemed to be in a good state when they all filed in to their podiums, and Tsukasa was no exception. She was used to having Ryuu and Nami on either side of her for these things, after all. When she was feeling nervous, she could give them a glance and know that they were right there. For better or worse, Ryuu was never afraid to lead the charge, and Nami always had something sensible to say.

Well, this is hardly the time to get caught up in things like that. Neo and Isabella were on the other side of the circle, but…that’s not so far, at least. She’ll just have to look to them this time. If they’re all going to get to the bottom of this, then she has to compose herself…! She was going to be strong for this, right? She was going to give it her all, right?

That in mind, she’s pretty grateful to Neo for leading her in. Otherwise Tsukasa might not have gathered the nerve to speak up. She tears her eyes away from the newly erected stands and gives the boy a light nod.

“Ah…right. It’s… When we were looking around, the three of us confirmed something that everyone should probably know before we get into this. That’s…on the back of Mimi-chama’s neck, beneath their sweater, there was a plug outlet. We found a charger that matched it in a bag in their room. We tried to dry them off and plug it back up to power them back on, but, well…”

As expected, that didn’t exactlywork. She gives Natacha a quick apologetic glance before continuing. Mm, was there anything else to say? Well, in case there was any doubt to what she was talking about, Tsukasa tried not to lower her voice when she laid things out more definitively. 

Ryuu decides to go for it and takes a gulp of black coffee while Tsuaksa speaks, hoping that focusing on her words will take the bitterness away. Instead, it makes him cough as scalding liquid goes down his throat. That’s a bad miss. Placing the cup down quickly, he gives it a dirty look before looking back to her.

“No, it’s not your fault. No one really wants t’talk ‘bout that kinda stuff, y’know? That’s not selfish at all. That’s just human. So don’t be sad, ‘kay? Like you said, we all got ‘nough to worry ‘bout, so don’t go thinkin’ too hard over things people aren’t mad about!”

The half empty mug is filled to the brim once more, this time with milk, turning the coffee a very pale shade. That’s beyond cafe au lait, Ryuu, but the next tentative sip seems to be much more acceptable if the lack of disgust is anything to go off of.

“I like t’think we’d just get used to it after a while, but… I know what you mean. Everyone has been so worried about me, so I’m not totally worn down! If anything, it’s nice t’know that I’m not…”

Not what?

“I’m gonna keep tryin’. So don’t worry too hard, okay? Or if you’re gonna, at least let me worry about you too. That sounds fair, right?”

Tsukasa moves to check up on Ryuu once she hears the coughing, but is relieved to see that it looked like he has it under control now. What if he died from choking on coffee? Could you imagine.

“Eheh, then Tsukasa-chama will try not to worry, okay? Because Tsukasa-chama knows that Ryuu-kyun will do everything he possibly can to keep everyone safe, including himself! But, that means taking care of yourself too, okay? Even if it’s painful, you have to try to get a decent rest... It probably doesn’t mean much, but if you ever need any help, Tsukasa-chama will come right away, so...!”

After a second of thought, Tsukasa decided to walk up and bury her face in Ryuu’s chest for a hug. The face she was making, it probably wasn’t the light-hearted smile she was trying for anymore. That’s no good, right?

“Ryuu-kyun really is an important friend to everyone, and nothing in anyone’s dreams will change that, so... Please take care of yourself, okay?”

Yeesh, it’s not like either of you are going anywhere. Come on, that’s not the way someone who just promised not to worry to act. With a small laugh and newly recovered smile, the blue-haired girl resurfaces.

“Eheh, gomen, Tsukasa-chama didn’t mean to sound like the heroine of a drama or something~! Hyuuuh, how super duper embarrassing! ...Really though, even if it weren’t for that phone call Tsukasa-chama would scold you if you weren’t sleeping properly, you know?”

A feigned pout doesn’t last for too long. She’d like to keep the air between them as light as possible, so that maybe Ryuu could feel like he could come to her for support a little more often. That’d be nice, wouldn’t it? If Tsukasa could help support him in these hard times as much as he’s helped her, that would be nice.

“Th-that sounds like way too much for me… I couldn’t even get the first cup I tried down, and it had cream in it. But maybe one go just means I’d only have t’deal with the taste for a little bit…?”

He stares at the cup he has poured and the steam swirling from it before looking back to Tsukasa and smiling. If he’s bothered by what happened before, it certainly doesn’t show on his face; but negative emotions rarely do. She looks away, and his eyes follow, trying to see if anything was there, before returning to her face as she speaks.

Even now, when she’s struggling, she’s thinking of him. Of others.

“Yeah… it prob’ly wouldn’t work for me. I know I scolded Ulrich for goin’ too hard on the coffee and ev’rything, but this’d be the second time I’ve tried it in my life. Sleep would be better, but that’s, uh… I mean, short naps are fine, but those tend t’feel worse, almost, ‘cause it’s not enough.”

“Thanks for worryin’, though, Tsukasa. You’re always so nice to me. Uh, I don’t wanna… bring up anything bad, but are you feelin’ any better? Ulrich was really worried ‘bout you, and he wasn’t mad, if you’re worried ‘bout that…!”

The smaller girl laughs a bit in response. All in one go, that was too much for her, too. She had a feeling that might be a little too much for anyone except for Tohru. Maybe Ulrich. Isabella? Well, even now, Tsukasa hadn’t thought to lay a finger on coffee yet.

“Mm, well, even if U-kyun isn’t mad, Tsukasa-chama should have at least explained her situation to everybody... It’s just a little embarrassing, getting so worked up over a silly dream like that. She was a little too scared to explain everything, so Tsukasa-chama was being a little selfish... Well, it’s always bad at first, but it usually doesn’t take super long for Tsukasa-chama to feel all better~! She’ll make sure to tell U-kyun not to worry, okay? Everyone has enough to worry about as is.”

Tsukasa wandered over to the snacks, hoping to find some sort of breakfast pastry. Hmm, hmm, decisions, decisions. While rummaging through those pre-packaged delicacies, she speaks up again.

Despite Tohru’s helpful advice that too much caffeine will have the opposite effect, it’s been long enough that Ryuu is willing to go back to coffee one more time. Last time he had hated it, but maybe he could put enough in it that it would still work but not taste awful? Is that a good plan?

He just needs something, honestly. Sleep is fitful for the sparse moments it comes and he’s found it only makes his waking hours even more unpleasant. The atmosphere of this entire place is stifling, for more than one reason. He hates that people are worried, he hates the burden he’s placed on Nami…

He hates…

Turning on the coffee machine, the acrobat watches with an almost blank face as it begins to heat up. Don’t think about things like that. Instead, wonder what you can add to coffee to make it half decent. Neo mentioned spices and whatnot before, so maybe that will work…

I imagine there are others in the room with him because he’s not going to sneak away to make coffee, but that also means all are welcome to approach him. I found the loop hole.

“Not sugar, but… What did he even add last time…? Nee-chan drinks it black, so maybe if I plug my nose…”

“Eheh, well, someone once told Tsukasa-chama that the best way to face super gross coffee is to take it all down in one big gulp~!”

Tsukasa speaks up from a bit of a distance, rocking on her heels with a smile. Ah, come to think of it, after her little episode in the lounge before, is it really okay for her to be smiling carelessly like this? She still hasn’t properly apologized in person for all of that, even. Tsukasa wants to be a reassuring presence for Ryuu, but she doesn’t want to come off as being free of remorse from her actions before...so in the end, she lets her gaze wander away and fiddles with her fingers. Ryuu said everything was fine, but...

Ryuu always says things are fine, you know? Unless it comes to, you know, like straight-up murder.

Yuuna watches Tsukasa as she approaches, though doesn’t stop pushing at the cart closer to the elevator. It moves slow, too weighed down to gain much momentum, but there doesn’t seem to be much physical strain on Yuuna’s part. It’s just awkward to push.

“I’ve decided to clean up after what happened in my labs, it’s just a matter of getting the supplies down.”

Really, the messes had all disappeared once the trial ended. Even after the hours spent scouring the entirety of lab level, Yuuna hadn’t been able to find a single thing that Control left out of place. Still, it made her fume just to imagine the disrespect of Isamu and Moriarty in her labs. She needed to clean it out herself, otherwise she’d never be satisfied.

The nightmares were just a convenient excuse, given that she’d assumed not many people would be out and she would be able to slip upstairs then head back down without being spotted.

That wasn’t the case though, it seemed.

“…Thank you for the offer.” Yuuna says after a moment, words stilted. Manners. Manners. She’s never had to use them so often.

Tsukasa wasn’t sure what else she could have expected. If it’s about her precious labs, would Yuuna be bothered if Tsukasa tried to help out with the cleaning down there? She should probably at least make sure Yuuna doesn’t stay locked in with those heavy cleaning fumes for too long, if she can help it. It’d probably be bad if Yuuna ended up getting sick or something...

“Mm, they say if you really want to make sure something’s been done right, then you have to do it yourself, after all!”

Then why are you following her into the elevator, looking very ready to clean? The rigidness in Yuuna’s expression of thanks certainly isn’t lost on the smaller girl.

“...Ano, that’s, you don’t have to worry with the formalities so much, Kusanya-chama! Tsukasa-chama super appreciates the effort, but she'd rather you just be yourself, you know?”

Oh, it’s this girl! Whew. If it were Isabella, Tohru doesn’t know what she’d do. Try to beat her off with a ladder, probably. But there’s no sense in thinking about that now. She relaxes her shoulders just a tiny bit. This is a kind girl… and, if it turns out to be a lie, she seems small enough that she could fight back.

That would be wonderful! Nights always go quicker with someone else, right? Though it’s a little sad the company needs to be me, ehh…

Not her first moment of self-deprecation, but the tone she uses is soft, as if she’s not trying to convince others to stay away, but rather as if it’s something she believes herself. Yeah. They have a few things in common.

Right, about what we were talking about earlier… Actually, have you had a talk yet with Enjou-san? Of course, I can’t say I “approve” of your relationship–

That’s not what she told Neo!

– but an outsider’s opinion shouldn’t matter. I hope you’re finding happiness right… Um, can you tell me about things? I can listen, s-since you were kind before, listening to me talk about the person I love… It’d make things even, you know? If you want to.

She leans against the bookshelf now, apparently giving up on finding her book. Never been one for reading anyway. Maybe she really will ask Nami… After everyone gets a good night’s sleep, of course.

It’s this girl! As small and fightable as ever. Not that it should be a problem--Tsukasa doesn’t seem especially interested in attempting murder right now. Surprising, I know.

Rather, since Tohru sounded pretty receptive to having a chat, Tsukasa decided to go ahead and take a seat nearby. 

“Ah, Tsukasa-chama’s not super good at talking, you know? Neo-kyun’s probably told you a lot, so it's probably not super fun to hear about it again, especially if you don’t exactly agree with it in the first place... You don’t have to push yourself like that just for the sake of making things even, you know? Ano, that’s, Tsukasa-chama listened to your stories because she wanted to. It’s not like it was some kind of burden...”

For someone who’s supposed not good at talking, this girl sure is talking a lot right now. Hey, Tsukasa-chama, weren’t you the one who said you wanted to continue this conversation in the first place?! If that’s the case, she should at least try to answer Tohru’s questions.

Was Mimi-chan Nami? So right next to their room… which was also Saeru’s room. Oh. How about that.

“We can go ahead together. I wouldn’t want to disturb Isabella unnecessarily. And presumably it would be much easier for you to find a place to change.”

She clasped her hands together tightly for a moment before putting them stiffly at her sides.

“I assume you’d prefer the elevator for the most part? Since you’ve just woken up.”

“Hai hai~ ☆ It’d be a bit of a walk, so that’s a good idea. We probably don’t want to tire ourselves out more than we need to, right?”

Tsukasa, looking fully awake now, hops off the desk with relative ease and follows Saeru to the door. This was good! Tsukasa had been putting off going to her room, but having someone else there would make it easier. She would definitely have to check on Isabella eventually, but...

Crisis averted. Not that Neo knows it was ever a crisis in the first place but at least he’s definitely glad that foreign and quite frankly nightmare-inducing face wasn’t present on her anymore. Whatever prompted such a response was going to have to be investigated in full if they…no, when they made it out of here.

“It’s to be expected, you’re good! I wish there was something more I could do for you about it though but…I guess you’re holding up well enough, huh?” He’s not completely certain of that, but he’s not quite sure if she’s willing to let him pry. Maybe he’d have to lead into it somehow…

Neo listens to the rest of what Tsukasa has to say, but rest assured he’s taking it to heart and not fervently denying everything he’s ever done. Even he’s not that silly to say he’s done nothing…But a part of him does think the blunette is giving him a little too much credit. “I understand, but it’s just… I should have known so much better, you know? In hindsight, I just wanted to save Isamu-kun so I didn’t pause to consider that what I did could have consequences on everyone else. Tunnel vision and everything…it feels like even if it doesn’t reverse all the good I’ve done, I should still hold myself accountable for it.” 

Then she brings his hands up to kiss them, and it’s that gesture of affection that sparks something within him. A dam that’s nearly overflowing does just that, and even though he laughs it sounds emptier than it should be coming from Neo.

“I guess I did want to find you so that we could talk but…I’d be lying if I said that was the only reason. When I had that nightmare, I…I knew I had to get up. I had to leave that closet. And find people. Find my friends. Find you.”

Without him realizing it, he starts to tear up.

“It’s…It’s because you’re not there. No one is. You know what I’m scared of so… My nightmares are a vision of my death, isolated, abandoned and always completely alone. With no one left to love, and no one left to live for too. I’m making the choice to entrust this to you…because I’m not going to pretend to say that everything’s fine. I don’t want to go back to sleep, I don’t want to think about how fitting it is considering our situation, and I don’t want to lie to anyone that I’m unaffected by it even though I’m supposed to be fearless. And yet I can still try to convince myself that everything’s fine… only because I still have you.” His hands are trembling as he buries his face into their intertwined fingers. “And I just…I know I probably don’t say this enough, but you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, Tsukasa-chama. I’m just…I’m just so…”

Pulling away, Neo takes a breath and wipes the tears away, blinking the rest of it elsewhere. “S-Sorry, I… I got a little over-emotional there. It’s been a while since I was honest with myself too. And all because I was happy that…that we could talk. That you could listen. From the bottom of my heart, Tsukasa, thank you.”

The sudden wave of tears was more of a surprise than it probably should have been, and for a moment Tsukasa is torn between giving him some sort of comfort or letting the boy speak without distraction. In the end, she listens carefully. It’s the tear-stained refrain of a song and dance they’d sang before. The rhythms and words, it feels so familiar...

It’s a bittersweet melody, but Tsukasa doesn’t mind singing along when his verse is done. When Neo’s hands let go of hers to wipe at his tears, the only thing she can do is pull him into a careful embrace. Letting her chin rest on his shoulder. Ah, that’s dangerous. She could fall asleep like this.

“...Nee, you can be brave without being fearless, you know? No one expects you to be okay all of the time, especially after all we’ve had to go through... Tsukasa-chama’s bad dream would probably sound a little silly if she tried to describe it, but she really didn’t even want to be in the same room with anyone after what happened... She’s still nervous about going back to her room, even.” 

Ah, well, there’s no need to go into the details. Tsukasa shakes her head to herself a bit, allowing her hold on Neo to tighten.

“It’s a little scary...how vivid it all was, right? It makes you wonder what these people are truly capable of... After that, I'm sure no one will be wanting to sleep for a long time. But...sharing the same feelings with everyone else, even on a small level...that’s not a bad thing, right? Right now, everyone understands what you’re going through, even if you didn’t dream about the same things... You’re not alone. That in itself is a scary thing, but it doesn’t have to be.”

Once the girl is finished speaking, Neo is slowly released from her embrace. Be free, little daredevil. Hopefully that would be enough as far as reassurance goes, but...

“...Ano, Tsukasa-chama was too afraid to face anyone this morning, but I’m actually really glad...! That you came and found Tsukasa-chama...and stayed, even if she was being difficult...” 

Maybe not so much difficult as absolutely terrifying, but alright. Okay.